The great conspiracy of Egypt’s mythical library, the Hall of Records

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If you’re into conspiracies — both wacky and true — you’re in for a treat, Each week, we’re going to pick a different conspiracy, legend, or urban myth — something unsubstantiated or unproven, but still believed by a significant number of people — and we’re going to dive in. We’ll tell you what it is, who believes it and why, and of course, we’ll explain any evidence against it actually being true.

Let’s get right into it.

The Hall of Records

For something that sounds so dull and pedestrian, like a place you’d go wait in line for a copy of your birth of certificate, the Hall of Records — if it exists — would be an absolutely revolutionary find. While the Library of Alexandria contained almost the entirety of ancient Greek knowledge, including works of fiction, criticism, drama, mathematics, physics, and more, before being accidentally burned to the ground, the Hall of Records is said to have served much the same purpose for ancient Egyptian knowledge.

If the Hall of Records existed, if someone were to stumble across it, it would be one of the most significant finds in all of human history, as it would not only replicate many of the lost Library of Alexandria works, but also shed light on Egyptian history and thought as well. For diehard believers in the Hall of Records, that means details on where the Egyptian people came from, or perhaps, where they really came from, which of course leads us to two of the most resilient conspiracy theory tropes: aliens and Atlantis.

For those who buy into the idea of ancient aliens — otherworldly beings who visited Earth to assist and be worshipped by ancient peoples — the Hall of Records could hold just the confirmation they’re looking for. The same goes for the lost continent of Atlantis and folks who think that perhaps its inhabitants ended up hanging by the Nile.

While most respected archaeologists and academics write the Hall of Records off as pseudo-archaeological nonsense, believers typically write that off with a, “Well, of course they would say that!” Throwing fuel on the speculative fire is the fact that the Egyptian government has purportedly blocked investigations around what is said to be the site of the Hall of Records: The Great Sphinx of Giza.

That’s right, the coolest part about the Hall of Records is that it’s said to be hidden beneath that most iconic, giant Egyptian statue. Any sphinx carries with it the aura of mysticism and magic, but that aura becomes magnified with a statue this size, one that also contains small, mysterious holes in its body. Archaeologists have suggested that they were involved in the creation of the statue, but again: “They would say that!”

Like most conspiracy theories, there’s a metric ton of speculation around the Hall of Records, and even more wackadoodle theories surrounding it. One of my personal favorites, which gets bonus points for its specificity, is that the Hall of Records was sealed up by a pre-Egyptian society way back in 10,500 BC, because that’s the last time that the Leo constellation lined up with the area between the Sphinx’s paws. Why would that be the case, and how would people know such a thing? Search me.

Outside of conspiracy theories, myths and out-and-out speculation, there’s not really any evidence to support the idea of a massive, hidden Hall of Records. There aren’t even any extant literary sources that mention it, and you can find ancient texts talking about all kinds of crazy things, from sea monsters to the aforementioned Atlantis and more. But: there does exist one more piece of important evidence that Hall of Records believers tend to point to.

Robert M Schoch is a professor at Boston University — he’s not just some internet crackpot — and he is best known for putting forth a rather fascinating theory. Due to research on how they have weathered and aged, he contends that many ancient structures are actually the products of much older civilizations than originally thought, ones that even shared some type of contact with one another. And among those structures? The pyramids of Egypt and Mesoamerica and, of course, the Giant Sphinx of Giza.

As part of the research into his claims, Schoch and others used ground-penetrating radar around the sphinx, and claim to have found a number of open spaces there. While this is far from evidence that the Hall of Records actually exists, it does indicate that the Hall of Records doesn’t necessarily not exist, which is more than enough to keep the conspiracy enthusiasts postulating.

So, what do you think? Does the Hall of Records exist? Is it buried beneath the Great Sphinx of Giza? Or does it all just sound a little bit too much like a Nicholas Cage movie designed for an international audience? Tell us your thoughts down in the comments!

Aubrey Sitterson is the creator of the ongoing, weekly, sword & sorcery serial, SKALD, available on iTunes, Stitcher & Podomatic. Follow him on Twitter or check out his website for more information.